In this post I will discuss my approach to the curriculum that I find to be the most beneficial, and that is Curriculum as
Process. One of the key factors of Curriculum as Process is the interaction
that takes place between teachers, the students and the knowledge that occurs
in the lesson. The pupils have more involvement in their education and can take
more responsibility for their learning. These interactions that take place are
constant (Smith, 2000). It also determines how the knowledge of the pupils is
evaluated. It is a more hands on approach and is more directed at the understanding
of the pupil. For example, if a pupil understands what is implied by the art
teacher when they use the term ‘form,’ then they will better at drawing said
form given that they know the connotations behind the term. In terms of
learning through Curriculum as Process, it gives greater opportunity for the
learner and the work they produce. The learner will give deep thought to the
work that they are doing from start to finish. It also gives the opportunity
for the teacher to evaluate and to assist in the direction the work of the
learner is going.
Ideally
the role of the teacher is that of a facilitator, from which process is
supposed to follow through. They are creative and generally have a more fully
developed plan for what will take place in the class. For a process approach to
curriculum to be undertaken, the teacher must understand what the pupils will
learn and how long it should take them to understand so that they can continue
to further develop their learning in a related topic (Smith, 2000). Teachers
who work under a process curriculum encourage an active classroom where pupils
interact with each other and from that interaction comes active learning, the
result of which, can be evaluated (Stenhouse, (1975):) .
However,
the outcome of learning is not the primary focus of the curriculum as process
model. It is what is involved with
the content of the curriculum, and the process in which it has been developed
by both the teacher and the pupils together. (Stenhouse,
(1975):) The role of the student
is to learn, to be curious, to investigate new knowledge, to resolve their
problems and to communicate what they have discovered. Students have more
freedom and control of their education. This approach to curriculum requires
constant management, of both time and people. The content must be covered,
should be wide in variety, and through group work and a creative learning
climate that is engaging and active, this can be achieved.
However there are challenges that may arise when using the Curriculum as
Process approach. No one method will work perfectly. In regard to Curriculum as
Process, it does not conform to the exam focused schooling system that is
currently in place for the Leaving Certificate and this year’s Junior
Certificate. The Junior Cycle will be more appropriate for the Curriculum as
Process approach as it is more suited for continuous assessment rather than Assessment
of Learning. Assessment of Learning refers to use of formative tests. Once the
teacher has evaluated these tests, feedback is given in the form of a grade or
a percentage (Allel & Lopez, 2005). Grundy (1987) states that whether the
pupils understand and can use the skills they have learned through Curriculum
as Process determines the success of this approach.
There
are variances from class to class when using Curriculum as Process in practice.
In the classroom this is evident in how it affects the learning and development
of the pupils and my own personal/ professional practice. One pupil was finding difficulties depicting
some of the features of the face in her drawings, feeling that their drawing
was not accurate, because it wasn’t “perfect.” Another pupil who has difficulty
understanding how to depict one feature in particular, the nose, the pupil was
confused by which marks to make so as to depict it. Since I am
able to clearly see the development of their work, and since I know my pupils,
I can give feedback that will help the pupils to understand how the solution can
be found. This helps improve their problem-solving skills and cognitive
thinking. By getting the learner into the habit of assessing their own work,
they improve their cognitive thinking they also learn to be a more independent
learner. This will greatly benefit them in their lives as they learn to judge
and assess independently (Fishman, 1998) . To be able to give ongoing feedback to the
pupil, and to direct them in an area that may need improvement allows for
constant progress in their work, but it also allows me to gauge how that
particular pupil is progressing in my subject. They assess their work, I can
offer advice or confirmation in their choice. It ensures that the progress of
the work is ongoing and that the focus of the pupil can be directed and focused
on the areas that they may need to improve and practice.
The question arises on how the Curriculum as Process can be
assessed. It exists in a system that requires results to assess. Assessment for
Learning (AFL) would be the ideal method for assessing work that has been
undertaken with the Curriculum as Process approach. It is similar to continuous
assessment, where the teacher can assess the work of the pupil throughout the
learning process. This method of assessment is referred to as formative
assessment. This measures the preparatory work, the research and the
participation of the pupil can be taken into account, rather than base it on
the academic performance of one day. It also presents a better opportunity for
the teacher to ensure that the learner is in fact learning. They are more
involved in the process of learning from start to finish, any difficulties or
misunderstandings can be rectified sooner, and the direction of learning can be
kept on the right track (Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall &William, 2003).
An
important factor of formative assessment is that pupils have the opportunity to
assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. It is a great
learning opportunity as they have more independence from the teacher and they
can start to trust themselves more. Pupils have the chance to learn from each
other, as well as the teacher. An open learning environment is created, where
pupils have the confidence to ask the opinions of others and to receive
constructive criticism, this will benefit the pupils later in life. Written or verbal
feedback will be the method of assessment rather than a percentage, as that
would dominate the pupil’s attention rather than the comments regarding on how
the pupils can improve (Boud, 2007) .
A grade is merely a number. It offers no advice on how to improve, nor does it
have any thing of value in helping with the pupil’s overall development in that
particular subject.
Exam
and assessments are difficult to think about without feeling anxious, annoyance
and other negative emotions. The pressure to preform well, to show that what
has been taught has indeed been learned, to prove the individual’s
“intelligence” can form such negative associations and can leave learners so
overwhelmed that they cannot face the exam, damaging their self-esteem. Verbal
and written feedback does not place the learner in a “pass or fail” bracket. It
gives the learner more information on how they are doing in that particular subject.
As well as that, it highlights an aspect that they were successful in, thus
lifting their belief in themselves in that subject. At the same time the
feedback informs them that they can further improve their general performance.
Another
classroom intervention where I employed the Curriculum Approach was when one
pupil was getting frustrated with the task that was set and they rushed to
finish it. I invited them to self-assess their work. After conversation, the
pupil admitted that they had not put in their best effort and could produce
better work. I agreed with the pupil and gave feedback on the work that was
done. Revisiting that same pupil some
time later found, that with patience with themselves and the process of work,
that they were much happier with the result and were delighted with themselves. By having the pupil assess their own work, they can spot where they
need improve in their work. They not only begin to recognise for themselves
where possible improvements can be made, but they have more independence from
the teacher. The pupil does not need to rely on the teacher to ensure that they
have taken the correct course of action. They also begin to build on their confidence
in their own ability, which only benefits and improves the overall learning experience.
This will benefit them not only for the rest of their academic career, but also
when they leave academia and enter whatever career path they have chosen (Boud, 2007) .
In
conclusion, learning is a varied experience that can be broken into six
processes of Learning and four categories of Curriculum. Interaction between
pupil and teacher is important as it helps with the assessing of work throughout
the process of work. Regarding the Curriculum as Process approach, pupils are
more involved with their own learning, and have more responsibility in their
education. Following my research on curriculum, I found that the Curriculum as
Process approach best suited my subject, Visual Art perfectly, as the process
in which the pupil learns is key. The research that the pupils do for their
projects shows the reasoning behind their artistic choices. Without this
research the work cannot be assessed. Experimentation and evidence of a variety
use of different media show that the learner has engaged with the subject. The
Curriculum as process approach is not flawless, it does not conform to the grade
system that dominates education, and therefore must be altered to fit this
system. however, it is well suited to the subject of Visual Art.
Bibliography
Allal, L. &. L. L. M.,
2005. Formative assessment of learning: A review of publications in French..
In: Formative Assessment: Improving learning in secondary schools. s.l.:OECD
Publication, pp. 241-264.
Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C. & Marshall, B. &.
W. D., 2003. How teachers developed the ideas with us. In: Assessment For
Learning: Putting it into Practice. Berkshire: Open University Press, p.
18.
Boud, D. &. F. N. ed., 2007. Rethinking Assessment in
Higher Education: Learning for the Longer Term. In: London: Routledge, pp.
65-67.
Fishman, S. M. &.
McCarthy, L., 1998. John Dewey and the Challenge of Classroom Practice. In:
New York: Teachers College Press, p.64.
Grundy, S.,
1987). Curriculum: Product or Praxis?. In: Lewes: Falmer Press.
Kelly, A., 2009. In: The Curriculum: Theory and
Practice.. 6th ed. London: Sage, p. 12.
O'Brien, D. S., 2018. Curriculum & Assessment Lecture.
In: s.l.:Unpublished.
O'Brien, S., 2016. Inside Education: Exploring the art of
good learning.. In: London: Routledge
Curriculum
and Syllabus, 2018, Department of Education and Skills. [Online]
Available:
https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Curriculum-and-Syllabus/
Stenhouse, L., (1975):. An Introduction to Curriculum
Research and Development . In: London : Heineman, p. 8.
What is curriculum?
Exploring theory and practice. [Online]
Available:
http://infed.org/mobi/curriculum-theory-and-practice/
Wren, D. J., 1999. School Culture: Exploring the Hidden
Curriculum. Adolescence, 34(135), pp. 593-596.
Comments
Post a Comment